It’s Not the Doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone that Saves—It’s Christ Who Saves
The doctrine of justification by faith alone does not save—only Jesus saves.
If there’s anything that would refute the idea that you can be saved by believing in the doctrine of justification by faith alone would be the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Because the doctrine of justification by faith alone precludes the idea that you could be saved by believing other than believing in... Continue Reading
Are Evangelicals Responsible for the Post-Truth Culture?
The author argues that we are in a “post-truth” climate created by a shift in truth values, and holds Evangelicals responsible for this shift.
Worthen characterizes this [presuppositionalism] as the idea that although all people view the world through inbred preconceptions, only Christians have access to absolute truth. The result, she concludes, is that “if this sounds like the forerunner of modern cultural relativism, in a way, it is.” Rephrased, the evangelical contention that only a biblical worldview affords... Continue Reading
The Bottle Dungeon
The Bible describes hell as a place of punishment, reserved for those who rebel against God.
No one can really know what hell is like. While we can affirm certain characteristics, we cannot be dogmatic about it, but we must acknowledge it is real. It relates to the justice and wrath of a holy God, inflicted upon all those who reject the One who suffered its torments on Calvary’s cross. ... Continue Reading
9 Glorious Things the Resurrection Means
The resurrection is one of the most astounding, glorious, overwhelming events in history. It. Changed. Everything.
…The resurrection IS true, which means that Jesus is alive, which means that everything he promised will happen. It’s not a myth, fairy tale, or children’s tale. Christ is risen from the dead and is achieving EVERYTHING he said he would. The resurrection baffled everyone. When the disciples came to Jesus’ empty tomb, they... Continue Reading
The Crucifixion and Old Testament Prophecy
The point of the cross was for Jesus to bear our sins and bear the sanctions of the covenant
“I’ve heard sermons about the nails and the thorns. Granted, the physical agony of crucifixion is a ghastly thing. But thousands of people have died on crosses, and others have had even more painful, excruciating deaths than that. But only One received the full measure of the curse of God while on a cross.” ... Continue Reading
Jesus, the Fig Tree, and the Temple
Now did the tree do anything wrong? Of course not. So what is the significance of this “cursing?"
“If we keep reading we see that Jesus soon after goes into the temple. He comes upon a bustling religious event. There are lots of people, animals, noises, and activities. Imagine the sights, sounds, and smells that would have greeted the Savior’s senses. Jesus is infuriated with a holy anger, and he carries out a... Continue Reading
The Necessity of Preaching
Preaching is necessary because people need to hear Christ in order to believe in Him for salvation
“Preaching comes through Christ’s sent messengers. This implies that preachers are necessary for preaching and that God must equip and send them to preach on Christ’s behalf. This point builds upon the previous post, which defined preaching as a public authoritative proclamation of the gospel through Christ’s ordained ambassadors.” Salvation is an expansive term.... Continue Reading
Challenges in Advancing the Kingdom of God
“Transformation” is a word shunned by some, because it is understood as “arrogant and triumphalist”
Keyes does not shun the word “transformation,” but does see a danger of being simplistic in approaching cultural transformation, particularly in believing that political success will be decisive, since transforming a culture is extremely complex. But, he said, “if we are salt and light, we can’t avoid being transformative.” The transformation of society to... Continue Reading
Glorious Traitors
Human beings are neither semi-divine nor demonic, but creatures who have been given a royal dignity as God’s viceroys.
While we know by nature enough to condemn us, we can only be saved by the special revelation that God gives us in the gospel (3:21–31). The story of creation and the fall presents an apologetic basis for explaining both the dignity and depravity of man, and thus why all people are in need of... Continue Reading
Finding Contentment in a Discontented World
Paul claims that “whether living in plenty or in want” he has “learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”
Whether it’s driving woes, health problems, job tensions, relational troubles, financial issues, our personal appearance, or numerous other circumstances, it is quite easy to become discontented/dissatisfied with the way things are. And discontentment tends to breed a whole host of additional vices: worry, frustration, envy, jealousy, condemnation, control, etc. How different our lives would be... Continue Reading